prayer

sometimes when i encourage friends to start spending time with God regularly or pray more, they shake their heads and start gently explaining to me how much they have to do, how unbelievably busy they are.. i'm sure the story isn't an unfamiliar one, for sometimes we face that same battle within ourselves. it is a human tendency, because what we are thinking of at that moment is that prayer is going to cost us something - some time which we could have otherwise spent perfecting our world lit draft, or catching up with someone we haven't seen in ages, or getting some sleep. the very word spend indicates the nature of the activity; some sort of sacrifice on our part. and we begrudge it! as a result either spend that time with God unwillingly or decide not to spend it at all.

allow me to share something from a wonderful book:

"Oswald Chambers' godly reflection on prayer points us in the right direction:

Beware of placing the emphasis on prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray.

This truth exposes our fundamental problem. We are too man-centered (and therefore self-centered) in our basic orientation to life. We have not learnt to be God-centered. Thus, we sometimes begrudge what prayer costs us - and forget what it cost God!"

- Growing Deep in God, Edmund Chan

as the song lyric goes, we need to pray like never before!
so let's pray, people.